The Burning Embers
by anotherweasley
Summary: Chapter 3-Jimmy and Gibson, at the new headquarters, have a talk.
1. The Request

The Burning Embers  
  
"Never promise more than you can perform."-Publius Syrus  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"What's goin' on here?"  
  
Jimmy looked to Yves determined to follow her lead. Yves could see Jimmy out of the corner of her eye, waiting for her.   
  
"Agents, what can we do for you?" asked Yves calmly, her British accent slightly more pronounced than usual.  
  
"You can start by tellin' me what's goin' on here," demanded John Doggett.  
  
They all looked around the main room of the Lone Gunmen headquarters. It was filled with white boxes. Other than that it was empty. Not that there was ever much there after Langley, Byers, and Frohike had gone broke trying to locate and rescue Yves. John had a sneaking suspicion that if he searched the entire place he would find nothing, that everything was pack away in these boxes. Yves and Jimmy were going somewhere.  
  
"We're relocating," explained Yves eying the boy between Agents Reyes and Doggett cautiously.  
  
"What were you planning on doin'? Sendin' us a postcard after you left?" John tried to keep the anger out of his voice but he couldn't. He was angry. Everyone he could trust and depend on was leaving-Mulder and Scully and now Jimmy and Yves. Who would be next? Monica? The thought of losing her too was more than he could handle right now and he pushed that thought aside. Yet he thought, with the X-Files probably being closed and reassignment probable, she may not have a choice.  
  
Monica reached out and put a gentle hand on John's arm at once calming and reassuring him. She was with him and they had urgent business.   
  
But before Monica could say anything Jimmy chimed in angry, protective. "Those men are still after Yves. We need to find a safer location. We're still," Jimmy's voice broke for just a second, "we're still going to continue the guy's work. We're still here to help."  
  
Monica nodded. "We're grateful for that because we do need your help. Mulder and Scully's lives are in danger. We need to warn them. But it's too dangerous to take Gibson with us. He's," they all turned to look at Gibson who steadily continued to look at Yves and Jimmy. "He's...," but Monica couldn't bring herself to say what Gibson really was: a miracle, a psychic. She believed it, but to convince them was another matter and she just didn't have the time. "The same people who are after Mulder and Scully are after him. They want him but if they can't have him they will kill him. We need people we can trust to look out for him, to keep him safe until we get back and can find something more permanent."  
  
Despite his seemingly calm outward appearance, Yves could see the fear in his eyes. It was sad to see it in one so young. She knew what it was like to be hunted, always hiding, never knowing who to trust, always fearful they would find you, break you, bend you to their will.  
  
But this was not her decision alone. She looked to Jimmy, although she already knew his answer. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments and then she turned her gaze back to the agents. "We'll take care of him. When we get to our new location, we will contact you. After you get Mulder and Scully to safety, we can make arrangements for Gibson's."  
  
John and Monica nodded their thanks. Monica turned to Gibson and put a smile on her face that she hoped was reassuring. "You're going to be okay, Gibson. These people will protect you until we get back."  
  
Gibson could only nod, disbelieving but grateful for the sentiment. He knew those men would never stop until they found him. And as much as he was grateful for Monica's pure and genuine sentiment, knew that she, her partner, and these two, would try their best, he felt they would be unable to perform that which they had promised. People had often made promises that he would be safe, promises they always wound up being unable to keep. 


	2. The Flight

The Burning Embers  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"We dance round a ring and suppose,/But the Secret sits in the middle and knows."-Robert Frost  
  
The truth was they weren't going far. Despite their misleading the agents as to the distance of their new headquarters they were just moving across the state line into Washington, D.C. It was as the Lone Gunmen had learned long ago, a good area to check the pulse of the secret government, yet large enough to hide from big brother.  
  
The old headquarters compromised Yves safety since they knew where it was located. The Gunmen had never tried to hide their location. They had taken steps to protect themselves, but they had never hidden themselves away. It was part of their journalistic integrity not to hide away but to be accessible to the American people they meant to inform and protect. But the paper was long gone, as were the guys, and it was up to Jimmy and Yves to keep the smoldering embers of their legacy alive. At least unlike the guys, money was no object for Yves. It would be plenty for Jimmy and herself to rebuild what was now lost, although the new would never replace that which was irreplaceable.  
  
"Be right back," said Jimmy as he got out of the front passenger side of the car that had a U-haul attached to it. He had to give the rental key for the Takoma headquarters back to the rental agency.  
  
So Yves and Gibson waited in the parking lot for Jimmy. She kept checking her mirrors. They had not been followed so far. Maybe they had giving up trying to locate her? Yves mentally shook her head. Her father was out there and he would not rest until he found her and brought her back. She had cost him a lot of money this last time around.  
  
Gibson broke the silence by saying, "You miss them don't you."  
  
It was not a hard assumption. Agents Doggett and Reyes had probably told him much of her and Jimmy's history. "Yes, I do," she said quietly trying to keep her cool façade that broke down much these days when she was alone. She had to be strong for them all, especially Jimmy. His heart was as broken as hers, but he as always was unable to hide his emotions, lock them away, as she had learned to as a small girl. He was honesty and goodness without guile was something that in her cloak and dagger life she had no experience with.  
  
"You were hesitant about taking responsibility for me," said Gibson calmly although he felt anything but calm. He had been fine hiding on his own and it was only when these good meaning people interfered that things went horribly wrong. But then if not for them, they would still find him. They liked to think they could protect him even though he knew they were as helpless as he was.  
  
"I read your file. I know what you are capable of. My life seems to be an open book these days so there's no need for secrecy anymore except for my whereabouts. But I'm sure you of all people can appreciate that. You came out of hiding to protect Agent Mulder, as you have protected him in the past. It is the least I can do to repay the favor. Agent Mulder is...was...a good friend of Langley, Byers, and Frohike."  
  
Gibson looked out the car window in the backseat at Jimmy signing the paperwork through the rental agency window. "Yes, Mulder was terribly upset by their loss. He was deeply worried about Scully and their baby and thought if he stayed away they'd be safe. But we are never safe."  
  
Gibson turned his gaze to the back of Yves' head. "You have another secret though."  
  
Yves pursed her lips, and willed her eyes to look into the rearview mirror where she saw Gibson studying her. "I hope it can be our secret for now."  
  
Gibson nodded his acquiesce to her wishes. "But you should tell him." 


	3. The Talk

The Burning Embers  
  
"Is there no way out of the mind?"-Sylvia Plath  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"Checkmate."  
  
"Whoa. You know you're like a chess genius. Have you ever thought of entering contests or something?"  
  
Yves put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile at Jimmy and Gibson's game of chess on an old, beat up card table. Jimmy didn't know about Gibson's psychic ability yet, although she reasoned that still wouldn't have stopped Gibson from beating Jimmy.   
  
Gibson looked up at Jimmy and said softly, "I use to but I've given that up now."  
  
Jimmy gave a low whistle. "Well your should rethink that. How many times have you beaten me?"  
  
"Seven."  
  
"Seven. Well this is a tough game. Not as fun as football. I still can't see why Byers loved it so much," said Jimmy with a sad smile. "Now football, there's a great sport!"  
  
Gibson's face said otherwise.  
  
Yves stifled a yawn. It had been a long, exhausting day-physically, mentally, and spiritually. She had felt herself nearly give way to tears many times as she and Jimmy packed up the remains of the Gunmen's lives. They had made her soft. They had made her care. It was both a curse, and a blessing.   
  
She got up from the ragged couch and walked over to the two. They looked up at her. "Well I'm going to bed. Goodnight, boys. Don't stay up too late." Yves absently put a hand on Jimmy's shoulder before turning away and walking down the hallway, into the darkness and out of sight.  
  
Unnoticed by her, Jimmy watched her until the dark hallway swallowed her up and he could see her no longer. His face bore no voice to his thoughts as he turned back to face Gibson. Gibson didn't need to read his face any way.   
  
Gibson reached for Jimmy's empty plate, placed it on top of his, and took it to the sink while Jimmy cleaned up the chessboard and put the pieces back into its box. Jimmy then joined Gibson at the sink as Gibson washed the dishes and Jimmy dried them. "So why are people after you?" asked Jimmy toweling one of the plates dry.  
  
"I can read minds."  
  
Jimmy began to laugh and then, after seeing Gibson's face, didn't. "Seriously?"  
  
"Seriously."  
  
"Cool," said Jimmy breaking out into a grin. Like a child with the wonderment of a new toy, he did not stop to think of the consequences of Gibson's ability at that moment. "Okay tell me what number I'm thinking of right now." Jimmy screwed his face up in a look of hard concentration.  
  
"1,497."  
  
"Whoa," Jimmy said highly impressed. Still looking at Gibson he realized what a silly question he had asked him. He didn't need to be a genius to tell what a scared and lonely kid this was.  
  
Gibson suddenly looked away and became very interested in washing the next plate. A few moments later he handed the wet, clean plate to Jimmy.  
  
"So where's your parents?" asked Jimmy quietly accepting the plate.  
  
Gibson shrugged. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "They were never my real parents. I was adopted. After that chess incident...." His voice trailed off. "They became frightened of me. They didn't want anything to do with me. Maybe if I didn't have this..."  
  
Jimmy shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry about that. That's tough."  
  
A flare of anger began to rise in Gibson. "Scully said I was special.' I hate being special.'"  
  
Jimmy felt very out of his league to help Gibson. He suddenly wished Yves was still here, or Byers, Langely, and Frohike. He suddenly felt very alone. He had always depended so much on other people to think the big thoughts and say the right things.  
  
Gibson easily read Jimmy's thoughts and felt sorry for this outburst. He knew Jimmy would help him if he could. "You miss them," he said simply.  
  
"Yes," said Jimmy hollowly. His mind was a million miles away thinking back bitter sweetly upon happier days.  
  
"You're worried about her."  
  
Jimmy snapped back to reality. He might have failed to help Langely, Frohike, and Byers but he was not going to fail Yves. He would die to protect her, this he knew. She was the dearest thing he had left. And yet he feared deep down that he would be her downfall and yet could not let her go. He never wanted to relive that year he spent without her in his life. He had felt so incomplete then, unlike now. Out loud he said, "I'm worried I'm holding her back, that I'm putting her more at risk by her being here and helping me to continue the guy's work.  
  
"You love her," deduced Gibson, having read this ultimate devotion before.  
  
Jimmy looked at Gibson. He said nothing. There was no need to. But it was then that he felt it. He felt why they would kill this young boy. He felt the fear that he was exposed and could never hide his thoughts again. He thought all the bad people he had meet since meeting the Gunmen and thought of all their secrets exposed to the American people. Then sadness washed over him so complete he almost drowned. If they had had Gibson a few months ago, they would have known who had the biological weapon planted inside of them. The Gunmen never would have had to die.  
  
Jimmy looked at Gibson who was eyeing him warily. He cleared his thought and said, "Well perhaps we should take Yves advice and not stay up too late." Jimmy showed Gibson to his room and said, "Don't worry, about Mulder and Scully. Doggett and Reyes will get there in time to help them. And in the meantime, we won't let anything happen to you."  
  
Gibson nodded. He went into his spartan but clean room and closed the door. He sank down, his back against the door, his knees pulled up to his chest. He wanted to believe everything would be okay. They deserved to be free. They all did. He cast his mind far away, trying to follow the thin thought threads of four agents amidst a cacophony of millions upon millions of people's thoughts. He could hear nothing. 


End file.
